Sex

Consumerism

Much of the movie takes place in Times Square, with characters surrounded by enormous billboards for every product imaginable, including Toshiba (which sponsors the square's New Year's Eve ball), Nivea, and Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows (another movie released by New Year's Eve distributor) Warner Bros. Also Moet champagne.

Positive role models

Violence

One character slaps another in a long-planned but ultimately unsatisfying retaliation.

Shallow, star-studded romcom has some drinking, swearing.

what parents need to know

Parents need to know that this star-studded romcom is heavy on familiar faces (including Ashton Kutcher, Lea Michele, Zac Efron, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, and many more) and short on depth. New Year's Eve follows several interconnected storylines as people try to make amends for the past year and ring in the new one; the stories are simplistic and saccharine, and though the messages are well meant and everyone's striving to be a good person, there aren't many believable role models. There's plenty of kissing and romance, plus some drinking and swearing (including "s--t" and one memorable "f--k"), and tons of enormous billboards touting products in Times Square.

what families can talk about

Families can talk about how New Year's Eve portrays dating and romance. Ask your teens if this is what they think adult relationships are really like.

Did you identify with any of the characters' storylines? Which ones seemed the most believable? Which ones felt completely implausible?

What's the significance of New Year's Eve as a holiday? Is it important to have someone special to celebrate it with? What does the beginning of a new year mean to you?

This review is provided by Common Sense Media. For more information, visit commonsense.org

Tomatometer®

Audience

45%

Audience Reviews

2 stars

"Enjoyable, but nothing worth seeing here more then once. I enjoyed the ending more than the entirety of the film. Not that the film was awful. I just liked seeing Michelle Pfeiffer bust a movie with Zac Efron. Plus I enjoyed their story the best out of all of them. I thought Lea and Ashton's was cheesy. I didn't see a real point of it being apart of the whole story. Jessica Biel and Seth Meyers was funny. All in all not a bad little flick to watch if your needing to pass some time. Plus I enjoyed the variety of talent it had. But it's nothing worth seeing more than once."

- LWOODS04, Thursday, December 13, 2012

2 stars

"Enjoyable, but nothing worth seeing here more then once. I enjoyed the ending more than the entirety of the film. Not that the film was awful. I just liked seeing Michelle Pfeiffer bust a movie with Zac Efron. Plus I enjoyed their story the best out of all of them. I thought Lea and Ashton's was cheesy. I didn't see a real point of it being apart of the whole story. Jessica Biel and Seth Meyers was funny. All in all not a bad little flick to watch if your needing to pass some time. Plus I enjoyed the variety of talent it had. But it's nothing worth seeing more than once."

- LWOODS04, Thursday, December 13, 2012

3 stars

What do you do when you have to make a movie with a mediocre script? Fill it to the rim with really famous people! Sorry, Garry Marshall. Not enough....